NOW HERE IS THE RUNDOWN ON THE TRUTH ABOUT LABELING PRODUCTS IN THE COSMETIC INDUSTRY by: Vee 11/4/09.

Give a check on the labels of your favorite products - but remember this is a new ruling (Summer 2008) and it takes time for change and turnover, so the products you buy at the store and the ones in the professional salon industry still may carry the old products or old guidelines on shelves and possibly some manufacturers may not be participating yet until this ruling becomes widespread and mainstream - IT TAKES TIME FOR CHANGE TO OCCUR.

NOTES:  VEE HAS BEEN USING ORGANIC HAIRCOLOR WITH THE *USDA ORGANIC SEAL SINCE INCEPTION OF NEW RULING AND CREATION OF THESE COLORS.  ALONG WITH OTHER LINES OF HAIRCOLOR NAMED ORGANIC, HERBAL, NATURAL WELL BEFORE THIS RULING EVER CAME INTO EXISTENCE.

What "Organic" Means

100% Organic - contains 95% organic ingredients and carries the USDA organic seal.

 Made with organic ingredients - contains at least 70% organic ingredients. This cannot carry organic seal.

Organic or Certified Organic - minimum 95% of content, excluding salt and water, is organic by weight. These products also have the USDA organic seal.

Less than 70% organic - can only list the organic products its made with on ingredient list. This cannot carry organic seal.

EcoCert - process includes a rigorous inspection by European certification body accredited to guarantee products are at least 95% organic.

Organic vs. Natural

There is a difference between organic and natural. By definition, natural means the product was created from botanical sources without additives or preservatives, but there has been no regulation on what is natural and what isn't. Companies have been prone to label their beauty products natural when they contain one or 2 natural ingredients. However, there is now an organization that governs these companies about using the term "natural."

The Natural Product Association has lobbied and succeeded to add guidelines to beauty products that claim to be "natural." Since the wave of natural beauty products is high and will probably continue to increase, some companies are tying the natural name to their products. Without regulations, these companies rely on the consumer not checking the ingredients.

The Natural Product Association began regulating natural beauty products in the summer of 2008. For the first time, you can see if your natural beauty products carry the seal of approval.

Here are some of the new guidelines that the Natural Product Association has laid out for natural products:  

•Product must be made up of at least 95% truly natural ingredients or ingredients that are derived from natural sources.

•No ingredients with any potential suspected human health risks.

•No processes that significantly or adversely alter the purity/effect of the natural ingredients.

•Ingredients that come from a purposeful, renewable/plentiful source found in nature (flora, fauna, mineral).

•Processes that are minimal and don't use synthetic/harsh chemicals or otherwise dilute purity.

•Non-natural ingredients only when viable natural alternative ingredients are unavailable and only when there are absolutely no suspected potential human health risks.

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